Shelf device



Jan. 24, 1967 c. NORDBAK 3,299,839

SHELF DEVICE Filed Oct. 14, 1965 I N V E NTOR.

United States Patent 3,299,839 SHELF DEVICE Carl Nordbak, 8508 Graham Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90001 Filed Oct. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 496,013 6 Claims. (Cl. 108-152) This invention relates to devices for providing shelf space, and more particularly to a shelf device which can be locked securely into place.

In the past it has been the practice to employ U-shaped spring clips to hold brackets in self standards. No means have been provided to lock these clips in place. They, therefore, have not held such brackets securely.

In accordance with the device of the present invention, the above-described and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by providing a retainer clip to hold a shelf bracket in place on a standard. As is conventional, a standard has a column of vertically spaced slots therein. The shelf bracket has means to hook through and over one of the slots. In accordance with the invention a plate is provided having a vertical projecting tongue at its upper end to extend into one of the slots. The plate also has a rearwardly and downwardly projecting spring finger to snap into slot in which the bracket hook means projects. The spring finger, therefore, holds the bracket on the standard by bearing downwardly thereon.

In accordance with a special feature of the present invention, the bracket has an upwardly extending projection at its forward end. A shelf panel is then placed on the bracket abutting the bracket projection and lying contiguous to the plate to lock it in place.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the distance between the tongue and the spring finger of the clip is such that the clip resiliently snap-fits into place.

The above-described and other advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the ac companying drawings.

In the drawings, which are to be regarded as merely illustrative FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through a standard thereof taken on the line 22 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, demonstrating how the retainer clip of the present invention is assembled and removed from the standard; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the retainer clip constructed in accordance with the present invention.

In FIG. 1 a shelf device constructed in accordance with the invention is shown, including a pair of standards 11 and 12 having a series of vertically placed slots 13 and 14, respectively, therein.

Shelf brackets 15 and 16 are provided. Each bracket is assembled with a corresponding standard in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Standards 11 and 12 are identical. Brackets 15 and 16 are also identical. The same is true of retainer clips 17 and 18 shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, bracket 15 has hooks 19 and 20 which project through standard slots 21 and 22 and hook thereover.

Retainer clip 17 includes a plate 23 having a tongue 24 that extends inwardly through a standard slot 25 and upwardly behind standard 11. Clip 17 also has a spring finger 26 which extends through the standard slot 21 and bears downwardly against bracket 15.

As shown in FIG. 1, bracket 15 has an upwardly extending projection 28. A glass shelf panel 29 is located on brackets 15 and 16 between clips 17 and 18, and cor- 3,299,839 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 4 responding projections 28 and 28 on brackets 15 and 16, respectively.

' Brackets 15 and 16, retainer clip 17 and 18, and shelf panel 29 may be removed from standards 11 and 12 and positioned anywhere along the length of the standards as illustrated in FIG. 3. In the event, shelf panel 29 is removed from bracket 15, and retainer clip 17 is rotated downwardly in the direction of arrow 30 and removed from standard slot 25. Bracket 15 may be removed from standard 11 simply by raising it and pulling hooks 19 and 20 through slots 21 and 22, respectively.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that by use of the retainer clip of the present invention and the shelf panel 29 between a retainer clip and a bracket projection 28, retainer clip 17 securely is locked in position on standard 11.

Although only one specific embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated herein, many changes and modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. A single embodiment has been selected for this disclosure for the purpose of illustration only. The present invention should, therefore, not be limited to the embodiment so selected, the true scope of the invention being defined only in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a shelf holder including a standard having a plurality of vertical slots therein and a shelf bracket having means to hook through and over one of said slots, a retainer clip to hold the bracket in place on said standard, said clip comprising: a plate having a vertically projecting tongue at its upper end to extend into one of said slots; and a rearwardly and downwardly projecting spring finger to snap into the slot in which the bracket hook means projects and to hold the same on said standard by bearing downwardly thereon.

2. A shelf device comprising: a pair of standards having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therein; a pair of shelf brackets, each of said brackets having a pair of rear hooks to extend through a pair of said slots and over the bottom thereof, each of said brackets having an upwardly extending projection at its forward end; a shelf panel on said brackets abutting said bracket projection; and a retainer clip held between each of said standards and said panel, each of said clips including a plate having a vertically projecting tongue at its upper end to extend into one slot and a rearwardly and downwardly projecting spring finger to snap into a slot into which the uppermost hook in each bracket projects and to hold each bracket on said standard by bearing downwardly thereon, each tongue extending through its corresponding slot and upwardly behind said standard, the distance between said tongues and said fingers being such that said clips resiliently snap fit into place.

3. In a shelf holder including a standard having a plurality of vertical slots therein and a shelf bracket having means to hook through and over one of said slots, a retainer clip to hold the bracket in place on said standard, said clip comprising: a plate having a projection at its upper end to extend into another slot in said standard above said one slot and to fit contiguous to the upper end of said other slot, said plate also having a vertical slot in the lower end thereof dividing it into two legs to straddle the upper edge of said shelf bracket the upper end of said plate slot resting on the upper edge of said shelf bracket, whereby vertical movement of said shelf bracket hook means out of said one slot is restrained by the contiguous fit of said plate between the upper edge of said shelf bracket and the upper end of said other slot.

4. A shelf device comprising: a standard having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therethrough; a shelf bracket, said bracket having a rearwardly extending projection hooking through and over the lower end of one of said standard slots, said bracket having an upwardly extending projection at its forward end; a plate contiguous to said standard, said plate having a projection at its upper end extending into another slot in said standard above said one slot and fitting contiguous to the upper end of said other slot, said plate having a lower portion fitting contigous to the upper edge of said bracket, whereby vertical movement of said rear bracket projection out of said one slot is restrained by the contiguous fit of said plate between the upper edge of said shelf bracket and the upper end of said other slot; and a shelf panel on said bracket positioned between said contiguous to said plate and said forward bracket projection, whereby said plate is locked in position contiguous to said standard.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, wherein said plate has a vertical slot in the said lower portion thereof dividing it into two legs contiguously straddling the upper edge of said shelf bracket, the end of said plate at the upper end of said slot therethrough resting on the upper edge of said shelf bracket.

6. A shelf device comprising: a pair of parallel, vertical standards, each standard having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therethrough; a shelf bracket for each standard, each bracket having a rearwardly extending projection hooking through and over the lower end of one corresponding slot in each standard, each bracket having an upwardly extending projection at its forward end; a plate contiguous to each standard, each plate having a first projection at its upper end extending through another slot in each standard above said one corresponding slot therethrough, each said first projection extending horizontally through each corresponding standard slot contiguous to the upper end thereof and then extending vertically upward above the upper end of each said slot contiguous to but behind each corresponding standard, each said plate having avertical slot through the lower end thereof in vertical alignment with each corresponding first projection dividing each plate into two legs contiguously straddling the upper edge of a corresponding shelf bracket, each plate having a second projection extending rearwardly from the top of each slot therethrough into said one corresponding slot in each standard, each said second projection resting upon the upper edge of each corresponding shelf bracket, said first and second projections fitting contiguous to their corresponding standard slotsand thereby preventing any substantial movement of each said plate in any direction While being positioned against each corresponding standard; and a shelf panel on the upper edges of said brackets positioned between and contiguous to said plates and said forward bracket projections, each plate thereby being held in a secured position by said panel locked fiat against each corresponding standard.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,576,865 11/1951 Vanderveld 248243 2,839,350 6/1958 Hill et al. 248243 X 2,971,657 2/1961 Zadeil 108152 X 3,186,364 6/1965 Costantini et a1. 248-250 X 3,194,528 7/1965 Chesley 248'250 FOREIGN PATENTS 145,291 2/ 1952 Australia.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

T. McCALL, Assistant Examiner. 

3. IN A SHELF HOLDER INCLUDING A STANDARD HAVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL SLOTS THEREIN AND A SHELF BRACKET HAVING MEANS TO HOOK THROUGH AND OVER ONE OF SAID SLOTS, A RETAINER CLIP TO HOLD THE BRACKET IN PLACE ON SAID STANDARD, SAID CLIP COMPRISING: A PLATE HAVING A PROJECTION AT ITS UPPER END TO EXTEND INTO ANOTHER SLOT IN SAID STANDARD ABOVE SAID ONE SLOT AND TO FIT CONTIGUOUS TO THE UPPER END OF SAID OTHER SLOT, SAID PLATE ALSO HAVING A VERTICAL SLOT IN THE LOWER END THEREOF DIVIDING IT INTO TWO LEGS TO STRADDLE THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID SHELF BRACKET THE UPPER END OF SAID PLATE SLOT RESTING ON THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID SHELF BRACKET, WHEREBY VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SHELF BRACKET HOOK MEANS OUT OF SAID ONE SLOT IS RESTRAINED BY THE CONTIGUOUS FIT OF SAID PLATE BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID SHELF BRACKET AND THE UPPER END OF SAID OTHER SLOT. 